Shoe horns



0. F. STEARNS Jan. 12, 1965 SHOE HORNS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 31, 1962 III I T L touching the shoes with onefs hands.

' moderately thin metal.

it may be used in any low-laced shoe for men.

3,165,246 r SHOE HORNS Orlo F. Stearns, 3206 Perry St., Mount Rainier, Md. Filed May 31, 1962, Ser. No. 199,576 I 9 Claims. (Cl. 223 -118) j This invention relates to putting on shoes and especially to mens low laced shoes.

This invention relates to putting on and removing shoes and especially to mens low laced shoes.

The object of this invention is a shoe horn' with which one may put on to the feet laced shoes from a standing position. The shoe properly laced as tightly as desired may be put upon the foot although so tight that a bootjack is required to removeit readily. A laced shoe may be removed by pressing on.the heel with the toe of the other foot but it is advisable to use a jack to keep the shape of the shoe and not hurt the toe or damage the leather of the shoe.

This horn is adapted to be used in dressing with mens low shoes having 4 to 6 eyelets on each side while the shoe laces are tied without disturbing the tongues or The form of the horn is shown in the drawing.

FIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a side view from the point to the middle of the horn. FIG. 3 is an end elevation from a vertical position above as the horn would be inserted in a shoe. v i I FIGS. 4,5 and 6 are a modification of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 which is the preferred form. v

The primed numbered parts in FIGS.4, 5 and 6 correspond to like parts in FIGS. 1,2 and 3.

The guide 2 is preferably made of smooth or polished It must be smooth in all parts to enable it to slide out of the shoe and to ease the foot United State Pflt in and not at any time tear a sock or abrade the shoe.

Part 1 is a firm inflexible reinforcing midrib for a thin easily flexible guide 2*which comprises a generally concave or arcuate shape for inserting the foot into a shoe. Part 1 is extended long enough for anyone to manipulate the guide or horn from a standing position. Numeral 7 indicates a hole for hanging when not in use. Obviously other such means or other attachments may be added- Obviously part 1 may be of difierent size and shape above the top of the shoe. The essential features are below it. This horn may also be used for shoes which have elastic sides. The length of the guide 2 is such that, when inserted into the shoes as far as the I reinforcement 1 permits it to go, the edge 5, 5 is above the shoe top.

Part 1 extends a short distance of about one-eighth to one-half inch below or beyond guide 2. Part 2 is easily flexible by ones fingers so as to be shaped to the inside of the shoe when in use. The vertical curved edges of the guide 2 may be in the form of a parabola when in sheet form before bending to the shape of the shoe but the straight sides should begin at the top edge or slightly below the top of the shoe. FIGS. 3 and 6 show the top edge which is generally approximately a half circumference of a circle but normally conforms to the contour of the stiffening or stiffener (technically known as counter) in the shoe. The horizontal distance from part 1 to edge 5, 5 of the guide should be the height of a shoe stiffener in a size 9 or 10 shoe, but may also be half the distance from the top of the stiffener at part 1 to the top of the shoe laces. This distance for a six hole laced shoe is practically the same as the middle of the ankle joint of the normal wearer and may be considered to mean the same. By selecting these measurements A smaller one but based on the same standard would be required for womens shoes.

, shoe.

3,165,246 Patented Jan. 12, 1965 on the inside as shown in FIG. 4. It is preferable to have part 1 on theback of guide 2 since this provides a continuous smooth uniform surface for guide 2. It is obviousthat-the part 1 may be round or other shapes.

To use the thin guide 2 without the reinforcement or part 1 resultsin the end being cracked, overlapping and tearing socks or stockings. a. The "edges ofupart 1, tip 3"and the corners and edges of guide 2 should be rounded and smooth. .The edges 4 and 4"should' remain in contact with part 1.

Flat and smooth headed rivets which maybe at any practical'distance apart, secure guide 2 to the part-1. The parabola is a plane curve having the formula -y =2px, where p is the distance from the directrix to the focus. It is obvious that the inside vertical line measurement at the middle of the heel of a shoe at the usual rear'vertical seam is an at value and the distance horizontally along the top of the upper from the same mid point to where the guide extends is a y value. Then the value of p can easily be determined and the form drawn upon the sheet material by a known method.

The parabola is a conic section and it follows that other conic sections are useful. As a corollary, if one chose an arc of a circle, it would obviously be useful and the horizontal distance from one forward front of the guide to the other forward front is achord and the vertical distance at the heel is the perpendicular to the circumference. I

The ellipse and hyperbola are blunter'and more complex' -to compute. They are not to be considered essential for this invention. W

Aparabola was chosenfor the shape of guide 2 because this shapemakesthe guide easily insertable into a The vertical sides of the guide above the top of the shoe are not required, but permit easier access of the foot into the guide.

The material 'as stated above is prefer-ably metal. Plastic has been'tried but is not practical for it is not actually as smooth as metal may be made to be and it must be made thicker to be useful for a long period of time. Plastic also does not have the property-of remaining in adjustable shape even if bent for a particu- Part1 should not be more than one lar size. In other words it is not adapted to be automatically adjusted in use. Although it might be changed by heat treatment to fit a shoe it may not remain so but revert to its original contour.

A plastic suitable for the guide 2 is non-rigid polyvinyl chloride acetate and for the midrib 1 the same kind of material in rigid condition may be used. Likewise nonrigid polyvinyl chloride is suggested for part 2. Tip 3 extends below the edge of the guide 2 and maintains the lower edge of guide 2 away from the bottom surface of the shoe so that when a wearers foot is inserted into the shoe the flexible guide will conform to the inside surface of the heel of the shoe and the wearers foot. Then as the wearer forces his foot into the shoe and flexes the guide 2, the midrib 1 will prevent the guide 2 from cracking or overlapping and thus allow it to assume the curved form similar to the curved form of the inner surface of the heel of the shoe. The foot can then be readily guided into the shoe since the heel of the wearer is properly engaged. Other plastics as polystyrene or phenol-formaldehyde may be used for part 1. Other plastics of low flexural strength may be used for part 2 such as polyethylene or viscose.

Although rivets have been used and are shown, the

no rivets would appear.

Part 2- may best be made of aluminum sheet or other metal of about one-fiftieth of an inch thicklor it may be tinned metal up to one thirty-second of an inch or thereabout, as long as it be untempered and readily adjustable to the contour of the shoes in which it is to be .used. The thickness of part 1.in the. shoe' shouldnot be over'five thirty-seconds of an inch in order not to take up too much room for proper adjustment of lacing. I

It may be for instance, three sixty-fourths of an' inch as long asit is sufliciently rigid. A section of sheet copper of such thickness has been found'to be useful.

Part 1 may be made of rigid copper sheet or nickel plated metal cut to shape and soldered to the untempered tinned sheet met-a1 with its extension above the shoe top soldered to an extension of adaptable zinc coated metal 10!,0thfilWlS6 attached. In short the essential features of this horn are below thelshoe top.. a

In order toprepare the shoes for use with this horn, it is necessary to sew the tongues on one side to the shoe upper. This in no way restricts their use. necessary to punch two holes'in the tongue of the shoe in line with the direction of one end of a shoe string to the top hole that is preferably on the side not sewn; A

' small piece of leather might be sewn near the top of the tongue to form a tunnel for the said passage of said shoe string. .It is preferable :that the tongue should extend above the top of shoe but this is not essentiaL When shoes are laced to..the right tension for a desired thicktermed scoop shaped. It is in'ithe' form-of thecurved portion of a kitchen or grocery scoop, having a' flat end part where'the handle is attached.

Having described my newborn I now define it by the appended claims.

It may. be

1. A shoe hornhavingga thin. smooth, flexible guide or sheet material of 'arcuate shape and having upper and lower. edges to be placed inside at the heel oflow laced shoes, a rigid midrib narrower than said guide attached to said guide being and in contact with said guide along its entire length for reinforcing'the guide, said midrib extending beyond the lower edge of the guide.

2. A" shoe ho'rn as in claim 1, wherein the guide has the shape of a scoop.

3. A shoe hornas definedin claim 1,.wherein the guide has an edge on each sidein-the. form of'a parabola in plane form before shaping. V V a 4. A shoe horn' as defined in claim l,wh'erein the guide extends during use forward to about the middle of the ankle joint ofthe wearer and the midrib extends about one-half inch beyond the guide.

5. A shoe horn as defined in claim 1, wherein the parts are of polished metal.

6. A shoe born as defined in claim'l, wherein the guide :is aluminum and the midrib is nickel-plated metal.

7. A shoe horn as defined in'claim 1, wherein the guide is made of non-rigid polyvinyl chloride acetate and the midrib is made of rigid plastic of the same name.-

8. A shoe horn as'defined in claimlwherein'the'midrib is made of polystyrene and the guide is. made of a plastic having low' flexural strength.

9. A shoe horn as'in claim 11 in which the midrib is curved conc-avely. forward. f

References Cited by the Examiner A:

{ UNITED STATES PATENTS l g FOREIGN- PATENTS I 1 155,106. 11/38 fAi-rstriaii.

12/ 2'5. Great Britain.

JORDAN, FRANKLIN, Primary Eica min'er;

' THOMAS .HICKEY, Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,165,246 January 12, 1965 I I U I Orlo F. Stearns It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, lines 9 and 10, strike out "This invention relates to putting on and removing shoes and especially to men's low laced shoes."; column 4, line 5, for "being and" read and'being Signed and sealed this 15th day of June 1965,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER' EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A SHOE HORN HAVING A THIN, SMOOTH, FLEXIBLE GUIDE OF SHEET MATERIAL OF ARCUATE SHAPE AND HAVING UPPER AND LOWER EDGES TO BE PLACED INSIDE AT THE HEEL OF LOW LACED SHOES, A RIGID MIDRIB NARROWER THAN SAID GUIDE ATTACHED 